Process of manufacturing glucose



v UNITED omn'rou FURB-ISH, or

BROOKLYN, s wn,-

PROCE'SS "OF MA'NUFACTURING GLUCOSE.

Application filed January 7, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CLINTON FURBISH, ofBrooklynfln the county of Kings and State of New York, have made aninvention of certain new and useful. Improvements in'tlie Art 'of Manufacturing Glucose and Sweet-Liquor from Qorn; and I do hereby declarethat-the followmg is a full, clear, and exact description andspecification of the same.

Previous to my present invention glucose or sweet-liquor has beenmanufacturedzfrom'the material known by the several names of Indiancorn, corn, and maize by various systems.

According to one system the grain-corn is soaked in water, or in wateracidnlated with a suitable acid, and is ground while in a wet state, andthe starch is separated from the wet product by washing with water, andis then transformed into glucose either bythe use of diastase or asuitable acid. This system is objectionable, because of the loss of thefree sugar of the corn by the soakingand washing processes,'-and alsobecause of the expense of time and labor attendingxthe variousoperations.

According to another system the corn is ound into meal, or otherwisecomminnted, d the corn-meal is directly treated, either b 'the aciiLprocess orby the diastase pros, to transform the starchy matter of the ninto glucose. This system is-bbjection ble, because the presence or thewoody fiber and Oily matters of the corn duringvthe pro-; s ofconversion prevents the proper ac tion of the acid or diastase; and,further, because the product of the acid or diastase upon thesesubstances is injurious in'itsefi'ect upon the glucose so produced.

According to another system the grain-corn is treated by what is.commonly known as'the hominy process, by which the oily matters T isthen ground to Hour and transformed into and woody fiber are removed,and the product glucoseor sweet-liquor either by'the acid process orby'the diastase process.- This system is objectionable, because of thegreat expense of time,labo r, and power required by the grindingoperations; and, further,- because when the diastase process is'used itis not possible, by the means in use and described, to so thoroughlyexfoliate the starchy matters of the corn as to allow a proper action ofthe diastase, and as a consequence the glucose or sweet-liquor soproduced not only contains elements of unconverted starchy mattersinjuriousto its value for all uses, but there is also occasionedaserious loss from thefact that there still remains in the residuum afterthe-liquor has been drawn off an amount of valuable starch y matterunconverted, which -.ldss seriously increases the cost of the productobtained.

According to another system the grain-corn (either whole or ground tomeal or flour) is placed in a suitable tank with a quantity-of water andreduced to a pulpy mass by means of heat and pressure,-afterwhich themass so produced is transformed into glucose or sweetliquor either bytheuse of acid or diastasc. This system is objectionable, because the: cornso treated contains all of its original oil y mat-- ters and woodyfibers, and the efl'ect of the heat andzpressure upon them is toproducein the resultant liquor both a taste and color 7 very 'diflicult, if notimpossible, to remove. .This system is furt'her objectionable, becausethe glucose or sweet-liquor so produced contains either the oily mattersof the cornor the product of acid or diastase'upon them.

The object of the present invention is to re- ;sweet-liquor from corn,and to produce ap article of superior quality, which, when made fromoily matters and from unconverted starchy the first stepof whichconsists of pearling the grain, or the reduction of the kernels by a dryclipping and cracking treatment, by which the hulls and heart of thekernels are sepalatedfrom-the hard. starchy portions; and,

second, the reduction of these starchy portions to a soft pulpy mass;and, third, the conversion of the starchy matters of this mass intoglucose or sweet-liquor; and in order 1 that my invention may be fullyunderstood I will proceed to describe the manner in which I havepracticed it with success.'

The Indian corn (shelled from Winnowed) is subjected to the action of acracking and 'hul1ing machine, such, for example, as

is used in the manufacture of hominy. By the matters; and it consists ofa compound process,

the ear and I duce the'cost of manufacturing glucose or by the use ofdiastase, may be practically tree harder portions of the grain.

action of this machine the kernels of corn are hulled, clipped, andcracked,-a'nd the hulls and fine-clipped portions are separated from theThe hulls and fine-clipped portions contain the bulk of the woody fiberand oily and albuminous matters is reduced to a pulpy state and thestarchy matters of the purified granular portions of the corn renderedpeculiarly susceptible to the action of either diastase or acid forconversion into sweet liquor.

If acid is to be used, I-prepare a suitable vessel or tank capable ofholding the required pressure and provided with steam -heating pipes. Inthis tank or vessel I place the diluted acid, and by connecting it withthe first described tank am enabled by pressure to transfer the contentsof the first to the second, and then by closing the second tank toproceed with the conversion by heat and pressure by the well-known andoften-described process.

If diastase is to be used,"I'discharge the 'pulpy mass from the vesselor tank into an reduce the mass to a temperature of about 120.Fahrenheit, when I add a solution of barley-malt at a temperature ofabout 100 Fahrenheit, in the proportion of eight pounds of dry malt forevery hundred pounds of dry corn treated as above described in the first'step of my compound process; and I have .found it best in practice touse in the vessel or tank in which the purified starchy portions of thecorn are subjected to pressure about fifty gallons of soft water forevery one hundred attains a temperature of about 165Fahrenheit, and Ihave obtained thebest results by raising the temperature at the rate of1 Fahrenheit per minute. When, by testing, either by iodine, alcohol, orby'a saccharometer, I. find the starchy matters of the corn thoroughlyconverted, I draw off the liquor, separating it from the solid residuumeither by means of a filter-press, such as described in the patentissued to me January 6, 1880, or by means of the action of aproperly-arranged centrifiagal machine, or by any other suitable device.liquor may then be filtered through bone-filters and concentrated to theproper gravity required for sale, or it may be used unfiltered in themanufacture of malt liquors, alcohol, or vinegar, as may be .desired.The sweet liquor so produced will be found practically free from starchymatters, and on this account peculiarly adaptedv for the manufacture ofmalt liquors.

The process as above described is ,not restricted to the use of aparticular kind or exact quantity of malt,'as rye-malt may be used forthe purpose, and the quantity of malt may be varied as circumstancesrender expedient. Nor is the process restricted to the maintenance ofthe heat at the exact temperatures named, as these may be varied withoutmateriallyichanging the result.

From the foregoing description it appears that my new process differssubstantially from preceding processes for the production of glucose orsweet-liquor from corn in the respect that according to them the corn iseither treated in its natural state, containing the oily matters andwoody fiber, or, if such oily matters and woody fiber are separated by adryvtreatment prior to conversion such conversion must be preceded bythe fine grinding k of the separated starchy matters of the corn.

'I claim as my invention The process, substantially as described, ofproducing glucose or a 'saccharine'sol ution from corn practically freefrom oily and unconverted starchy matters, consisting of the followingoperations, viz: first, separating thev bulls and heart from the harderand starchy matters of thecorn; second, subjecting the starchy mattersso separated, with water, to the effect of steam under pressure; third,transforming the mass so produced into glucose or a saccharine solution,substantially as above described.

CLINTON FURBISH. Witnesses I B. E. J. ELLs, E. 0. BALL.

